‘That’s one giant leap for our intrepid, briefcase-sized robotic explorers,’ said Joel Krajewski, MarCO project manager at NASA’s JPL. What’s more, it…
‘That’s one giant leap for our intrepid, briefcase-sized robotic explorers,’ said Joel Krajewski, MarCO project manager at NASA’s JPL.
What’s more, it was the MarCO CubeSats that beamed back the news of InSight’s impeccable landing, calling home to confirm the Mars touchdown. According to NASA, their radio signal came through at 2:52 p.m. EST on Monday — and let the world know that the InSight lander had set foot (or rather feet, since the spacecraft has three landing legs) on Martian soil.
As the InSight probe was saying hello to Mars after descending on the dusty surface of Elysium Planitia, the twin MarCO satellites said their goodbyes to the strange alien world that they had the fortune of encountering, and took to space once again. While the InSight mission is merely beginning, “Wall-E” and “Eve” have done their part, and are now ready for an eternal slumber in the vast, cosmic night.
